At least 15 dead in Afghanistan earthquake – BBC News

At least 15 people were killed and 78 injured after an earthquake hit western Afghanistan, officials say.

The US Geological Survey said the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck about 40 kilometers from the western city of Herat, near the border with Iran, at around 11:00 a.m. local time (0630 GMT).

Several buildings were damaged, leaving people trapped under rubble, Afghan officials said.

At least three strong tremors followed the initial quake.

“We were in our offices and suddenly the building started to shake. The plaster on the walls started to fall and the walls cracked, some walls and parts of the building collapsed.” Herat resident Bashir Ahmad told AFP news agency.

“I can’t contact my family, the network connections are disconnected. I’m too worried and scared, it was horrible,” he added.

More than 70 wounded people were being treated at the city’s main hospital, a health official said.

“The situation was very horrible, I had never experienced anything like it,” student Idrees Arsala, the last to safely evacuate his classroom after the earthquakes began, told AFP.

Herat is located 120 kilometers east of the border with Iran and is considered the cultural capital of Afghanistan. It is estimated that 1.9 million people live in the province, according to World Bank data from 2019.

The country is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, as it is located near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

In June last year, Paktika province was rocked by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless.